Criticisms among ethnic Tibetans on China’s rescue efforts after the quake rise the already tension between them.

The strong Earthquake that hit China earlier this week has not only mourned the country, with casualty number seems not to stop anytime soon, but also heated up the already tension between China and Tibet. Despite the number of Tibetans who have shown gratitude for the aids including food, tents, restless searches for survivor and prevention of possible epidemic disease given by China’s government, there are Tibetans who criticize the help of China. The scenario described by many Tibetan monks is that Chinese soldiers prevented them from helping rescue injured people and find bodies of the dead. Moreover, the number of dead people was reported just by half of the real number as a monk discontented “I think they’re afraid to let the world know how bad this earthquake is.” And another girl sobbed a day earlier that the machinery inadvertently tore apart the body of her classmate. The help of Chinese soldiers seems solely a duty without any inside feelings for the unfortunate Tibetan victims of the quake. It’s difficult to understand the real picture when there aren’t any voices of Chinese soldiers. However, as the enormous consequences of the quake keep rising, the tension between China and Tibet seems not to cease.

Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/world/asia/18quake.html?pagewanted=1&src=un&feedurl=http://json8.nytimes.com/pages/world/index.jsonp

Submitted by Yen Do.

China's plan to wait out the Dalai Lama

By Jeff Gimm

In a recent interview with Fareed Zakaria, The Dalai Lama addressed concerns over the future of his people and what will happen once he is gone. What seems to be the current Chinese plan is to let more ethnic Han Chinese move into Tibet and slowly project their culture over that of the Tibetan people. The Chinese are vehemently opposed to anything that resembles independence for Tibet and some look upon the Dalai Lama as some sort of rebel leader. However the Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated that he does not want seperation from China but rather an autonomous region working within the Chinese sphere of control. The other half of the current Chinese plan is to wait out the Dalai Lama who is currently 72. Traditionally, Tibetan leaders would seek out the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. But with the current unease, there may end up being two Lamas, one backed by Lhasa and one by Beijing. Zakaria warns in his article though that this may backfire, as without the current Dalai Lama as a figurehead, the movement for independence within Tibet may pick up a radical, more violent tone.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/08/zakaria.dalailama/index.html?eref=rss_world